Patents; A keyboard fits in the palm of the hand to make computing mobile, but it doesn't speak Qwerty.

THANKS to technology, it is possible to work or communicate from just about anywhere with a computer and modem. Yet regardless of locale, typing text into a laptop, personal organizer or e-mail device still requires a traditional keyboard; in many cases, it demands a table to support the keyboard, and generally both hands to type.

Mobility and portability are holy grails in computing and communications, generating high hopes for the emergence of ever-smaller, lighter computers, and for wearable models. Still, the keyboard remains a pesky hurdle. Wearable computers are already in use in industrial and commercial settings, where bulky keyboards strapped to a user's thigh (and displays embedded in goggles fit for a welder) are not a deterrent. But a lightweight belt or wrist computer for the average person remains a challenge.

John McKown, an inventor in Scottsdale, Ariz., believed those obstacles could be overcome by abandoning long-standing ideas about how people input data and how computers receive it. He has won a patent for a wearable, one-handed keyboard that lets users type as they pace around an office, walk down the street, lean back in an airplane seat or are passing time standing around (in line at the driver's license office, perhaps).

In fact, even though his patent is named ''Stealthy Keyboard,'' it is somewhat imprecise to call it that since it lacks the traditional ''board.'' Rather, it fits inside a cupped palm, hooks around the thumb and forefinger, and is operated by using the fingertips and the mid-section of fingers to press the keys.

''I was educated as a biophysicist, and that involves a lot of physiology,'' he explained last week, just a few days after his patent was issued. ''I came to appreciate a lot about the body. The hand is a marvel of nature. It's unacceptable not to have a good, one-handed keyboard. The hand is obviously capable. You don't need two hands to type, or to be restricted to a table.''

He is not the first to win a patent for a single-hand keyboard. But he points to some distinctions that he says make his design easier to use than earlier models.

''One thing people expect you to do is hold onto the keyboard with the same fingers that you use to type,'' he said of earlier inventions. ''Other mistakes were designs that want you to curl your fingers more than is comfortable for a long time. You need to be able to flex, to back away from the board and wiggle your fingers to get the blood flowing,'' he explained.

With his device, he said, ''if you straighten your fingers and thumb on my keyboard, it just hangs there and waits for you to go back to work.''

A user doesn't have to grip Mr. McKown's device because two wide hooks curl around the thumb and forefinger to fix it in place. After slipping the thumb and forefinger into these hooks, the user would then cup a hand around the device so that the keys are aligned under the fingertips and knuckles. The whole unit is designed to be small enough to disappear into the palm.

Though there are only a maximum of eight keys, Mr. McKown says a user can generate up to 256 characters by pressing the keys using fingertips, the middle of the fingers, and combinations of those. He manages 256 characters by creating what he calls ''chords.''

''Every character has a chord, meaning a certain combination'' of keys pressed, Mr. McKown explained. ''With two keys per finger, you can use one finger to get four different combinations.'' The combination possibilities of four fingers add up to a potential 256 characters, he said -- more than enough to cover the alphabet and other elements of a traditional Qwerty keyboard.

Because his keyboard has only one Shift key, computer games that distinguish between a right and left Shift could not be played with his device. And he admits that because it's not a Qwerty layout, the first reaction may be that it's hard to master.

''There are no skills transferrable,'' he acknowledged. ''In spite of how it seems, it's actually easy, but you have to hold it in your hand to tell that.''

He said he spent several weeks learning to touch-type with his invention.

''Within a week I had memorized all the chords,'' he said, ''though I still had to think about them. Within two months I'd learned it all instinctively, and that was through purely accidental learning. I'd pick it up whenever I had a minute. Now I'd never go back to a Qwerty board because I like to stand up when I type.''

While the wearable computer of the future might be an ideal partner for his invention, Mr. McKown said, ''I'd be in trouble if I had to wait for the display'' necessary to make such computers practical. He says his invention can already be used with laptops or palm devices, though he has not produced anything other than prototypes.

But his hope is that once mastered, the discreet keyboard tucked into a palm could be used anywhere, by anyone walking down a street, lounging in an airport terminal, or making a presentation with software like PowerPoint.

''If you had a regular laptop on a plane and plugged one of my things into it, you could put your elbows anywhere,'' he said.

Since the keys must be positioned under the fingertips and mid-finger bone, the device would have to fit each individual user.

''As I conceive it, it's adjustable in size,'' Mr. McKown said. ''It takes long enough to adjust it that, once it's adjusted, you won't want anyone else to use it. I consider it a personal effect, like eyeglasses.''

Photos of Mr. McKown's prototypes can be viewed on a Web site he set up last week, www.chordite.com. Anyone can download his engineering plans after agreeing to a free evaluation license.

But Mr. McKown also hopes to find companies that are interested in manufacturing and production licenses for his patent 6,429,854.

We are continually improving the quality of our text archives. Please send feedback, error reports,
and suggestions to archive_feedback@nytimes.com.

A version of this article appears in print on August 12, 2002, on Page C00002 of the National edition with the headline: Patents; A keyboard fits in the palm of the hand to make computing mobile, but it doesn't speak Qwerty. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe